The present invention relates to pool cleaning valves in general. More specifically to a reed valve used in a submersible pulsating pool cleaner actuated by the combination of hydraulic pressure and a torsion spring.
Previously, many types of valves have been used in endeavoring to provide an effective means for producing the pulsating effect in a submersible pulsating pool cleaner using the suction of the pool cleaner pump for removing debris from a swimming pool. A myriad of valves have been employed in the past including flappers, flexible diaphragms, flexible jaws, balls, elastomeric jaws as well as reed valves.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that possess the novelty of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related.
Chang in U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,451 is my most recent prior art patent upon which the improvements in the reed valve are based. The reed valve as taught by the patent utilizes a pair of opposed laminated valve plates with an outward bend on one end and a right angle bend on the other. When negative pressure is applied opposite the plates each plate draws together over a fulcrum until a right angle bend touches a restrictive boundary in the cage creating a first step in the dual action. As negative pressure continues the plates arcuately bow until the outward bends abut closing the valve to fluid flow creating the final step in the dual action. A garter spring urges the plates into their original position when pressure is relieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,246 issued to Chang is my first patent in which reed valve plates were used, which consists of a pair of opposed deflecting reeds, each having a fixed reed and a movable reed. The fixed reed is connected to the body on one end and a stud on the other, the valve is secured to the movable reed through an elongated slot. The spring action of the combination creates a double action movement flexing the reeds into a bow shape simultaneously with their combined spring action. The flow of water is impeded by the reed valve due to the shock wave or water hammer when the opposed movable reeds are drawn together at their distal ends.
Stoltz in U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,229 discloses a valve having jaw-like lips of a flexible material biased in an open position by its inherent elasticity and resiliency. The lips close under negative pressure and reopen due to the material establishing its inherent memory.
Stern in U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,950 teaches a suction nozzle having a body with a throat extending from an inlet at one end to an outlet on the other. The body is split into a number of discrete portions forming the throat. One body portion is moveable allowing the throat to automatically expand in response to movements of other body portions. The resulting expansion of the nozzle allows unrestricted passage of large foreign objects through the throat during the operation of the suction cleaning device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,928 issued to Khoury is for a valve which is suitable for use in a fluid controlled swimming pool cleaner. The valve is made of a deformable material having a tubular core with a fastening formation near one end and a mushroom shaped annular flexible component at an opposite end.
Gould et at. teaches in U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,433, a valve having an entrance mouth with one or more single acting closure lips formed of a thin metal spring material. The lips are drawn into full closure by the suction of the pool pump and open when the bias is substantially less than the closing force. Partial flow of the pump is utilized in the apparatus at a specific design flow rate.
The most relevant problem plaguing submersible pool cleaners for decades is the reliability of the valves to create the pulsation effect for propelling the cleaner on the bottom and sides of a swimming pool. The reason for inherent short life of the valves of any type is that the pulsation or cyclic action can be as high as 6 cycles per second which creates fatigue in the base material regardless of its composition. This phenomena occurs in flappers, flexible diaphragms, flexible jaws, elastomeric jaws as well as metallic reed valves.
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to utilize a valve that, by its very nature, is robust and durable which is the basic novelty of the apparatus presented. This utility is accomplished by using a non-flexing reed valve plate made of stainless steel having a thickness that withstands the cyclic movement without bending in combination with a torsion spring also of stainless steel that is stiff enough to return the valves to their open position with a minimum of bending moment.
An important object of the invention is that the valve plate is surrounded by a restricting boundary on three sides and the end next to the valve body is retained by the torsion spring. This arrangement positions the valve plate always in the same location and the valve pivots on a fulcrum point rather than bending. Since the plate is always flat and no deflection or curving occurs the plate is not under stress and will function properly for extremely long periods of time. A prototype of the invention has been under test for over a year with absolutely no wear or any signs of deterioration.
Another object of the invention is the design has basically no moving metal to metal communication as the torsion springs are isolated with resilient sleeves and the valve plates only touch the thermoplastic of the body. It is possible however, for the valve plates to barely contact a horizontal side of the torsion spring on their outside surface when the valve plate is fully open but it should be realized that no stress or force is applied at that time when the torsion spring is at rest.
Still another object of the invention is directed to the simplicity of the reed valve plate itself as it is simply stamped in the desired form and two bends in the metal are formed by standard punch presses. Other embodiments of the reed valve plate are equally easy to manufacture and cost effective.
Yet another object of the invention is in the configuration of the valve body which in the unlikely advent that the reed valve plate must be replaced the procedure is extremely simple. The valve body is removed from the cleaner housing in the normal manner and the torsion spring is lifted up with ones finger releasing the valve plate allowing it to slide out of the restricting boundaries. Replacement is just the reverse procedure which is intuitively obvious to any user.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.